


We Really Don't Need to Talk About This

by Thalius



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Coming Out, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Joel is Really Bad at Communicating, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 09:04:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21051815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thalius/pseuds/Thalius
Summary: Word travels fast in a small town, and Joel wants to make sure he says all the right ones.





	We Really Don't Need to Talk About This

**Author's Note:**

> I know there's a dozen other coming-out conversation fics between these two already but I figured I'd try my hand at it. Thanks for reading!

“It’s a weird thing,” Tommy said beside him, then pursed his lips and blew out a breath into the cold morning air. “Seein’ yourself talk.”

“Makes you realise how much of it you do,” Joel replied.

Tommy laughed. “Ah, fuck you.”

“You’re still talkin’.” 

Their whispering took most of the edge out of his words, but Tommy also knew better than to talk to him at five in the morning. 

His brother had a point, though. Every winter he’d lived in Boston had taken him by surprise, and there never seemed to be a thick enough coat around to stop the chill from cutting into him. Jackson was no different. 

Joel sipped from his thermos as they walked the freshly shoveled path up to the southern depot. Maria had promised coffee might be something they’d look into growing in the future, and he’d never cared for tea, so the cherry bourbon inside his mug would have to do for now. It was at least a hell of a lot more help in keeping his insides warm than his jacket.

Tommy smacked his arm. He took another sip before passing his brother the thermos, who took a deep drink before stowing it in his pack.

“I want that ba—”

“End-of,” Tommy replied impatiently, nodding Joel’s concerns away. “I’ll give it to Maria.”

“Ain’t exactly gonna keep it safe neither.” 

Tommy muttered something under his breath that Joel didn’t catch, but he got the gist anyway. 

They bid good morning to Sandra and Taylor standing guard at the main entrance of the depot when they got close. Tommy hung back to talk small like he always did, and Joel ducked on passed him into the depot. 

There were only two other people up this early for patrols and neither of them seemed particularly interested in talking to him, so he walked the halls down towards his cubby. Theft was rare in the town, something he was still getting used to, but all he ever stored in the depot were some food rations and light equipment. 

He also saw Ellie standing at her own cubby beside his, leaning on the shelf with her back to him and her head down. She looked like she was holding something. Reading, maybe.

“Mornin’,” he said to her, and she jumped up like he’d bit her.

“Oh, hey.” Her hand fell and shoved whatever she’d been looking at back in her cubby. “You’re here early.”

“Tommy,” he explained, and she grinned. 

“Figured.” 

He let her get ready in peace as he grabbed his own things. She didn’t try to talk to him, and he knew why. She probably knew why he wasn’t talking either. 

“You got enough food for today?” He tried to look over at her side of the shelf, but her arm was doing a good job of blocking it. 

“Yeah, a bunch.” Her chin rose up a little. “Got some of those granola bars Sandra kept bragging about finding.”

He raised a brow, impressed. “How’d you get her to give one to you?” 

“More than one. And I got my ways,” was all she said, grinning to herself. She hadn’t stopped smiling since he saw her. Under different circumstances he’d think she was just pleased with his company. 

It was probably a good opening as any. He leaned on the shelf and turned his head a little, listening for footsteps. “Right. Well, listen, Ellie, I wanted to—”

“What are you about to do?”

“What?”

She gestured up and down at him. “You’ve got serious posture going on.”

“I ain’t doin’ nothing.”

She copied his stance, leaning against her cubby and crossing her arms. Then she pulled her brow down into a scowl. 

“I don’t look like that,” he protested, but he didn’t move. That would only admit defeat. 

“Sure.”

“That’s not what I—” He sighed. “Not the point.”

She wasn’t making this easy on him. Her grin wouldn’t go away. “What is the point, then?”

He looked behind him again before replying. He should have practiced this a bit more first. “I wanna say that—that I support you, no matter what, and that I—”

“Why... wouldn’t you support me?” she asked, and still grinning, damn her.

“I don’t know,” he said truthfully. “It’s just what you’re supposed to say to kids—”

“I’m not a kid—”

“I know,” he said immediately. “I know you’re not a kid. But it’s what you’re supposed to say.”

“Alright then,” she replied, drawing her words out. 

His face was only hot from the bourbon.

“Look, I don’t want to talk about this—”

“You’re the one who brought it up,” she told him. “Whatever ‘it’ is.”

“Yeah, I did.” He sighed, and then leaned in closer to her. “The thing with—with Dina, I mean.”

“Oh, that.” She paused for a moment, then said, “yeah, I figured.” Ellie was more serious now, her expression sobering. “It’s not a thing yet anyway. I dunno. It’s not a big deal.” 

“It’s okay if it is,” he said, and continued when he realised that bit sounded good. He should say more of that. “And you can come and talk to me about, you know, whatever it is you need—”

“I know,” she interrupted him again, her eyes warm. “I know.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” she repeated.

The silence returned, not really any less awkward than before. He wondered what else he could, should, say.

“You know some people ain’t gonna like it,” he told her. “People from before, they—well, some of them had funny ideas about certain things.”

“Oh, I know.”

His eyes narrowed. “Someone say something to you?”

“Not to my face,” she replied. “Just staring, you know. Looks. Talking to me weird. Kinda like you are now,” she added, giving him a furtive smile as she looked away from her cubby.

“I’m sorry, this is—this ain’t how I planned things.” 

“It’s okay. You’re good,” she assured him, seeing his doubtful expression. Her hand landed on his arm, squeezing his bicep. “I’m glad you’re cool with it.”

“So this is—” He stopped himself. “So girls, yeah? Just girls?”

She looked like she was trying not to laugh at him. “You remember Tara?”

“Your friend from school?”

Ellie raised a brow.

“Oh,” he said. “Well alright then.”

“Just girls,” she responded, and gave his arm a pat before letting her hand fall away. 

“S’good thing, I guess. Most boys your age are annoying.”

“And really horny,” she added. He tried not to look too flabbergasted, but it was a hard thing. “Guess that kinda goes with the whole annoying bit, though.”

“Yeah,” he got out. “Yeah I guess.”

“Can we end this conversation now?”

“Yes, please.”

“Good.” She slung her pack over her shoulder and then walked past him. “You’ll have to find a new partner for today. I told Dina I’d be her patrol buddy.”

“Be safe,” he called, watching her disappear back into the main room. She didn’t bother responding to him. 

Joel sighed and looked back into his cubby. Ellie had snuck a granola bar in there under his extra pair of gloves, and he tucked it gingerly into his back pocket, smiling to himself. It could've gone a lot worse.


End file.
